If you’re traveling to London to attend Frieze, then you’ll surely need somewhere to rest your head during your busy week in the city. To make your search a little easier, Whitewaller has put together a list of some of London’s top luxury and boutique hotels below.
Nobu Hotel Shoreditch Shoreditch
Elegant and full of thoughtful details, Nobu Hotel Shoreditch offers 143 timeless rooms and seven suites alongside its iconic 240-seat Nobu Restaurant—designed by Studio PCH. With a dynamic East-meets-West philosophy, the hotel welcomes its guests to an oasis with a 24-hour culinary experience, and an exclusive fitness center and spa. Contemporary and innovative, yet classic and worldly, Nobu Hotel London Shoreditch radiates creative energy.
Courtesy of the Ace Hotel London.
Whitewaller recommends: Booking the Nobu Suite for its two private balconies.
Courtesy of the Nobu Hotel Shoreditch.
Blakes Hotel Chelsea
Known as the world’s first luxury boutique hotel, Blakes Hotel boasts 45 rooms, including five suites, with popular all-day dining options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The hotel is also home to: Blakes Below, the Asian-influenced bar underneath the hotel lobby; the tranquil Blakes Courtyard; and Blakes Restaurant.
Whitewaller recommends: Enjoying seasonal Mediterranean-inspired dishes at Blakes Restaurant.
Courtesy of Soho Hotel.
The Groucho Club Soho
The Groucho Club is London’s original private members’ club for the creative arts industries. With an extensive contemporary art collection adorning every wall, the Club is renowned for its rich heritage and reputation for hosting fantastic parties. The Club has several social spaces including two bars and two restaurants, as well as twenty bedrooms and two apartments for members to stay in.
Whitewaller recommends: Ordering “The Twinkle”—the club’s signature champagne cocktail.
Courtesy of the Ham Yard Hotel.
Shoreditch House Shoreditch
Converted into a members’ club from an old warehouse, Shoreditch House is a fantastic place for those looking to unwind. With the Cowshed Spa and rooftop pool, the club is a true gem for anyone visiting London.
Whitewaller recommends: Partaking in Curry Tuesday at the fifth-floor restaurant.
Courtesy of The Ned.
Zetter Town House Clerkenwell
With a touch of British flair and welcoming elegance, The Zetter Townhouse is a 13-bedroom home away from home. Across from St. John’s Square, the hotel boasts the feeling of a private home, with its property available for hire exclusively.
Whitewaller recommends: Having a drink at the cocktail lounge.
Photo by Paul Winch-Furness
Courtesy of The Hospital Club.
Ace Hotel London Shoreditch
Ace Hotel London incorporates a wide range of design influences, from the clean modernism of the Bauhaus to U.K. punk, and each of the 258 guest rooms feels like a friend’s Shoreditch apartment. The hotel also includes Hoi Polloi restaurant, a bustling lobby with outposts from various businesses, The Rooftop & Terrace, and Miranda—the performance and arts space in the basement.
Whitewaller recommends: Visiting the vinyl-only record store next door, Sister Ray Ace.
Courtesy of Blakes Hotel.
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Knightsbridge
The restoration of Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London, led by Joyce Wang, has been refined with elegant Art Deco detailing, inspired by the natural beauty of Hyde Park. The first phase, overlooking Knightsbridge, was unveiled in August 2017. The hotel is also working on including a second phase to overlook Hyde Park, with the addition of two penthouse suites and an extended spa.
Whitewaller recommends: Enjoying the spa’s sanariums and vitality pools.
Courtesy of the Mandarin Oriental.
Chiltern Firehouse Marylebone
The Chiltern Firehouse hotel, located inside a gothic building from 1889, opened in 2014 with 26 rooms and an open-kitchen restaurant. With ingredient-focused fare, the restaurant also boasts striking interiors and delectable dishes.
Whitewaller recommends: Roasted chicory hearts from the restaurant.
The Hospital Club Covent Garden
The Hospital Club is a unique private members’ club in the heart of Covent Garden, for people from of the creative industries to connect, collaborate, and create. The Club has a TV and music studio, a gallery, a screening room, 15 bedrooms, and restaurants and bars.
Whitewaller recommends: Catching a show at the live performance space, The Oak Room.
Ham Yard Hotel Soho
Featuring a garden at its center, with a sculpture by Tony Cragg, Ham Yard has an urban village feel. With interiors by Kit Kemp, the hotel’s 91 bedrooms and suites are complemented by 24 apartments, 13 stores, a drawing room and library, a rooftop terrace, a spa and gym, a theater, a private events room, a bowling alley, and a restaurant and bar with outdoor dining.
Whitewaller recommends: Watching a film in the Harm Yard Theatre.
The London EDITION Fitzrovia
The London EDITION is a dynamic and elegant 173-room hotel equipped with a restaurant, three bars, meeting rooms, and a bustling lobby. The in-house Berners Tavern restaurant, fumed-oak paneled bar Punch Room, and 2,077-square-foot penthouse are also local favorites.
Whitewaller recommends: Attending a Scandal Water tea session at Punch Room.
Soho Hotel Soho
The Soho Hotel, with inspiring interiors designed by award-winning Kit Kemp, has 96 individually designed rooms and suites, a drawing room, a library, a gym, two screening rooms, an events floor with three private rooms, beauty treatment rooms, and four penthouse suites. The hotel also offers RikRak—its own bath product collection.
Whitewaller recommends: Sipping afternoon tea at Refuel Bar and Restaurant.
The Ned City of London
Housed in an old bank building from the 1920s, The Ned is a transformed, regal hotel with 252 guest rooms harnessing an intimate, tailored feel. Guests can spend time in any of the hotel’s nine restaurants and bars (seven are open to the public). It also features a rooftop pool and a vault lounge that are available to hotel guests and members.
Whitewaller recommends: Enjoying a rooftop swim at Ned’s Club.
